This invention relates to golf tees and more particularly to a reusable, pivotable golf tee providing reproducible ball elevation.
Golf tees are used to elevate the ball above the playing surface. Conventional golf tees are one piece painted wood or plastic. When a club swing is not perfect, the tee is either broken or flies so far it is lost. An estimated 1.5 billion wooden tees were sold in the United States in 1992.
They remain on the golf courses to pollute the environment, and the consumption of materials for their manufacture is a needless waste of resources. A golf tee which is able to withstand the trauma of play would overcome this pollution and waste of resources. A tee which can pivot when struck is better able to withstand trauma and remain in place. When properly designed, it can also improve the flight of the ball. Some of the art and advantages of pivotable golf tees are reviewed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,575,420 issued Apr. 20, 1971 to Turner and U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,208 issued Feb. 24, 1987 to Morabeto.
Although many pivotable golf tee patents have been issued, some problems remain with their design and function. Some are expensive to manufacture. For optimum retention when struck, they must be inserted deep into the ground. How deep they are inserted may vary, depending upon the soil type and user's skill. However, it is desirable to always maintain the ball on the tee at a reproducible elevation above the playing surface for best results.